AS THOUSANDS of parents wave their children off for school for the very first time this week, many will begin to consider the career opportunities now open to them as their children reach school age.

But, although there are now more women working in Wales than ever before, there are still barriers facing mothers which prevent them from returning to the workforce.

At the start of the new term, Chwarae Teg, Wales' leading organisation for the economic development of women is calling for employers in Wales to remove the stumbling blocks facing women returners.

Ruth Marks Chief Executive of Chwarae Teg said, "For many parents, particularly if they are caring for their children single handedly, their first opportunity to focus on their own career aspirations happens when their children go to school. Employers must take a proactive approach to helping these people get back to the workplace."

Research consistently shows that more women in Wales believe they would become economically active if they were confident they could rely on childcare and also that they would be able to work flexibly.

Issues such as the lack of affordable childcare in Wales and employers with inflexible working policies make returning to work impossible for some parents.

These are significant barriers for women who, although they want to work, are unable to restart their careers due to the obstacles they face.

For women who may have chosen to take a complete career break to raise their children, the widespread shortage of affordable pre- and after-school childcare may be too costly to consider.

Ms Marks said, "Today, more than two thirds of women in Wales who have children, go out to work. This means affordable and dependable childcare provision has to be found. And other caring responsibilities, such as caring for elderly and dependent relatives, usually fall to women.

"These are factors which not only act to exclude women from the workplace but also from attaining top jobs in the organisation where they are employed or in another in which they may aspire to work. Encouraging employers to realise these issues, the importance of flexible working and the benefits of work-life balance, is key to helping women reach their full potential.

"The absence of family-friendly working policies is major factor in discouraging parents from re-entering the workforce.

"Some businesses have yet to acknowledge that operating flexible ways of working in response to the need for a better work-life balance, will improve morale and reduce absenteeism and employee turnover."